Heart of Winter, Heart of Me
by kenziescott54
Summary: The Man in the Moon watches over everyone, everywhere. So when Arendelle's in danger, he sends his Guardians to help. Queen Elsa goes to battle for the first time and learns more about herself and her power than she knew existed. That boy with the white hair and the blue eyes has a lot to do with it. Elsa/Jack and Anna/Kristoff, obviously.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

"Anna! Hurry _up_ , Anna!"

Princess Anna of Arendelle tugged on her left boot with a loud sigh. "I'm hurrying! Seriously, Elsa. We're about one minute late and you're already stressed."

Queen Elsa stared at the ceiling and groaned. "You're not even halfway ready."

Anna rushed into her other boot and yanked her fingers through her tangled hair. "Am so."

Elsa studied her sister's tousled appearance skeptically. "Um, okay. If you say so."

Anna grabbed a cookie from the plate on her nightstand. "I do say so. Let's do this!"

Together the royal sisters hurried through the halls, down the stairs, past the state rooms and through the inner gates. Spring was just starting, and the evenings were still chilly; Anna shivered as they crossed the open courtyard. "Should've brought a cloak," she muttered.

Elsa's royal carriage stood waiting for them near the front gate, and the footman bowed as they approached. "Your Majesty, your Highness."

"Thank you, Amund," Elsa said as he handed her into the carriage, followed by Anna. "Now it really isn't your fault, but if you could please hurry; we're a bit late."

"Would you relax with the 'we're late' already?" grumbled Anna. "This is the _trolls._ We don't stand on formality with them."

Elsa shifted in her seat. "That isn't the point. I'm the _queen_. I should never be late."

"No," Anna argued, "it's everyone else that shouldn't be late and you that should be. Or at least, you _can_ be."

Elsa stayed quiet this time, looking out the window into the gathering dark. The carriage thundered along, taking the sisters along the worn, familiar path to Trolldalen. The trolls, although somewhat active during the day, preferred to be visited at night because that was when their magic was strongest; and so Elsa's monthly visits to Trolldalen were always at dusk.

She'd started coming here the first month of her reign, wanting some sort of advice. She'd only been eighteen when made queen, after all, and had also missed three important years of her monarch's training when her parents died. She had advisors, of course, but she knew that her father used to come here because of the unrivalled knowledge of the trolls.

"Their magic is the oldest kind, Elsa," he used to say. "It's drawn from the earth, from the trees, from the water, from the very air around us. Never underestimate the extent of their knowledge. And never, ever make them angry."

Elsa lived by those words. Her advisors could only...well, _advise_ her; but the trolls could give her more than that. And that was why she paid them homage by visiting them regularly. They repaid her by telling her everything they knew. That was how Elsa found out about the small group of rebels that planned to impeach her with false information. That was how she knew of an assassination attempt from a neighboring kingdom a month before it happened. It was how she knew of a month long dry spell and how to prepare her farmers for it.

The people of Arendelle began to think Elsa had the gift of foresight, as well as her more obvious magical powers. They respected her and loved her fiercely, believing that she had the knowledge to protect them as no other ruler had. Traders boasted of her when they were in neighboring lands, and other monarchs came to visit her and create peaceful alliances. Arendelle was flourishing as it had not for several years.

And so Elsa continued to make it a priority to visit the trolls and ask their advice.

"We're here," Anna said, startling Elsa out of her thoughts. The footman was swinging open the carriage door, and the chilly night air poured in, opening Elsa's lungs and causing the humming power beneath her skin to spark.

Elsa smiled at Anna, who was looking at her anxiously. "I'm fine, love," Elsa said. "I was just thinking."

Anna smiled back, and the two sisters exited the carriage. The footman shut the door and moved back a respectful distance, out of earshot.

Elsa linked arms with Anna and they descended into Trolldalen quietly.

"Grand Pabbie!" Elsa called.

The rocks around the girls shook, rolled, opened up, became a beehive of activity. "It's Elsa!" "It's Anna!" "She brought Anna!" "My, what a beauty you're becoming!" "It's been too long!" "Love suits you well, my dear!"

Anna grinned at all the compliments. "Thank you, thank you!" she said. "It _has_ been too long! Kristoff's always talking about you, but I miss you guys!"

In the midst of all the chattering, Grand Pabbie appeared, and the talking died to a murmur as the two leaders bowed to one another.

"Good evening, your Majesty," said the head troll. "Please, sit."

Elsa seated herself on a mossy stone, Anna next to her. Grand Pabbie bowed to her as well. "Your Highness," he said.

"Hi," Anna said cheerfully.

Grand Pabbie turned his attention back to Elsa, his expression grave. "We have much to discuss tonight, my queen," he said. "I've heard there's talk in the village of a new king?"

"There's always that sort of talk," said Elsa, with a short laugh. "I take little notice of it; it's just a rumor, started by the hopefuls that want me to fall in love."

"And you are not in love?"

"No," Elsa said. "And I don't plan to make a political match, either. It doesn't matter who I marry, or if I marry at all, because I'm queen regnant, and I don't need a king to keep the throne."

"That is true," said Pabbie. "Although it would be wise to make a marriage alliance with another kingdom. However, I am against any marriage that doesn't involve love, as you know."

Grand Pabbie had been saying this same thing for months on end: don't marry without love, don't marry without love, don't marry without love. Elsa understood his point, of course, and she agreed with him; but he had only to say it once for her to get it, for heaven's sake.

Besides, who said she wanted to marry at all? It would be nice, in theory, to have someone by her side while she ruled Arendelle, but she didn't _need_ anyone, and anyway it seemed like a hard situation to put someone through, to have to be legally subject to his wife. If she got lonely, she had Anna.

Aloud, she said,"You don't really want to talk about me getting married, do you?"

"No," said Pabbie. "Not exactly, that is. But you do realize that the longer you go without marrying, the more restless the people become. They want to make sure you have an heir."

"That's ridiculous," said Elsa. "If I die without marrying, Anna and her progeny are in line for the throne. So it's not like I'd be leaving Arendelle rulerless. And the people love Anna and Kristoff, anyway."

"They do," said Pabbie, "but they love you more. They want your line on the throne, not Princess Anna's."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Elsa firmly, hoping that Pabbie would take this as an end-of-discussion comment. "What else did you want to talk about?"

Pabbie bowed his head, and when he raised it his face was grave.

"Queen Elsa," he said, "We have read the stars. Arendelle is entering a period of great danger, perhaps its greatest danger yet."

Elsa's stomach dropped suddenly, leaving a hollow, empty feeling. "What do you mean?" she exclaimed.

Pabbie's large eyes looked into her own. "Beware the moon, Anna. Do not trust his wiles and ways. Put your faith only in the things you know." He paused.

"More than this, I cannot say."

* * *

 **Welcome to my story!**

 **Just a few things you need to know before you read on:**

 **In my fanon, Arendelle is a magical kingdom that is hidden in modern-day Norway on a fjord. In circa 1800, during some of the unrest and war in Norway, a little place called Arendelle was sealed off magically by the man in the moon to keep its people safe. It became its own kingdom and it remained untouched until the 2000s. It exists, like other places, in an alternate reality that is housed on earth.**

 **Corona, home to Rapunzel from Tangled, exists on the coast of Jutland, the peninsula that makes up the majority of Denmark.**

 **Also in this alternate reality lives Cinderella and Prince Charming, although as portrayed by the Frozen film they would be middle aged at this point. Their kingdom lies somewhere along the French-German border.**

 **Please take note that this is not completely historically or geographically accurate, nor is it meant to be.**

 **I will be updating this story at my leisure. There's about five parts written so far. Review if you like it; I appreciate criticism, constructive or otherwise. (Also, I do take reviews into consideration as to when I update).**

 **-Kenzie**


	2. Chapter 1: Kristoff Comes Home

**A/N: I forgot to explain this last time, but Trolldalen is my name for the trolls' home. It means "Troll Valey" in Norwegian.**

 **I also forgot a disclaimer last time, so here it is: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Arendelle bustled with excitement. Children raced across the streets, dressed in their finest and decked with flowers; merchants boarded up their stalls, preparing for a rare day off; Arendelle's inns overflowed with distinguished guests, including nobility from neighboring kingdoms.

The reason?

It was the first annual celebration of Queen Elsa's coronation.

When her father was still king, he used to throw a kingdom wide celebration on the anniversary of his coronation, and Elsa had no intention of stopping the tradition now. But this time the celebration was far bigger; Elsa's proclamation had drawn in people from all sorts of places, including royalty from kingdoms far larger than her own.

Most noted was the presence of King Albert of the Southern Isles, who had come to publicly show his political support after his son's unexpected and embarrassing attempt for the throne the year before. Crown Prince Adolphus and his sister Princess Adelaide were visiting from Artois, the little French kingdom whose king and queen had attended Elsa's coronation. (It was said that the crown prince would have been very glad to court the queen, but that she would not allow it on the count of not trusting the motives of princes, because of Prince Hans).

All in all, the celebration was shaping up to be incredible, even bigger than the coronation. It was the first time Arendelle had had a royal celebration since Elsa's reign had begun, and as such the first chance the people had had to show their support for the queen they loved.

There was just one small blip in the plans. Kristoff was travelling down from the northern mountains and wouldn't arrive until the day after the celebration. Anna was quite disappointed, of course; and so was Elsa, for she too loved Kristoff dearly, and thought that they didn't see enough of him recently.

* * *

The party was in full swing. It was getting late in the afternoon, and Elsa wasn't feeling it. She still didn't like big crowds, no matter how many times she forced herself into them. This wasn't the first palace party she'd given - there'd been one before in honor of Anna's birthday - and she felt the same crowded, pressured feeling that had come with that. Yes, it was her own celebration and yes, she was honored that so many people were in attendance, but big crowds just weren't her thing.

She looked around the courtyard, which was full of people, and spotted Anna chatting with a group of villagers. Nodding to herself, content that Anna was happy, Elsa turned quietly to the inner gates and slipped into the cool, quiet castle.

She walked on until she reached the staircase, then followed it up, up, up to her favorite balcony. She leaned on the rail and drank in the fresh air, listening contentedly to the muffled sound voices talking below her.

"That's a great party down there."

Elsa almost jumped out of her skin. Arendelle's favorite ice merchant was walking towards her, smiling broadly.

"Kristoff!" cried Elsa, thoroughly surprised. He bowed, a twinkle in his eyes, and kissed her hand in greeting. "I thought you were in the mountains."

"Just got back," Kristoff said. Elsa saw then the haggard lines in his face, the exhausted stoop of his shoulders. He was clearly exhausted to the bone.

"You need some rest," she said.

Kristoff nodded. "I came up here first for a little air. I don't really feel like going down to the crowd, but of course I've got to go see Anna."

"I'll send for her," said Elsa quickly. "You're far too tired for the party."

Kristoff nodded gratefully, and Elsa called for one of the guards. "Would you send someone to fetch the princess?" she said, and the man vanished.

"What's got you into the mountains so much lately?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff grinned. "I caught wind of an opportunity. There's a merchant in the mountains that's willing to partner with me, and he's got a lot of capital. He's willing to fund me for half a year while I employ some more workers, so I can expand the business, and once I break even we'll go halves on everything." His eyes lit up, as they always did when he talked business. "All I have to do is go back next week and seal the deal."

"But you're successful now," Elsa said. "Why do you need to expand the business?"

Kristoff turned to face her, his whole broad, honest face shining. "I've decided to buy a plot of land, Elsa - a place where I can have my own house built, the way Anna and I want it. And while I'm 'successful now,' as you say, my current home is nothing close to fit for a family."

Elsa thought of the small building he'd bought near the edge of the village when he'd gotten enough money to move out of Trolldalen. "Okay, true, but you're marrying the princess," she reminded him. "The royal treasury has more than enough to cover a plot of land and a building. Or you can stay here, in the castle; I'd hate to lose you two to a house, away from me," she teased.

But Kristoff didn't smile.

"You are incredibly generous, and please don't think that I'm anything less than grateful for it. But...I want it to be mine, you know? I want to look at the home I gave her and know that I worked for it with my own two hands. I don't have much else to give her."

Elsa frowned. She hadn't heard Kristoff say anything like this before. " _You're_ enough, Kristoff. You don't have to give her anything else. She loves you!"

"I know," he said seriously. "But that's the way I want it."

"KRIIISTOOOOFFFF!" Anna squealed loudly, running up to them. She jumped into his arms, and he kissed her. Laughing, Elsa turned away and made for the stairs. From behind her, she heard Anna say, "Did you miss me?" and Kristoff, laughing, "More than anything, Anna," and Anna saying, "Me TOO! You've no idea how much I missed you!"

 _They're so ridiculous_ , she thought, descending the staircase. But she couldn't help but grin like an idiot every time she saw them or thought about them, because they were so adorable, and so in love.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! Again, please tell me what you think. I'd love your feedback.**

 **Just so you know, in my "head canon" Artois on the border of France and Germany, and it's the province that Cinderella and her Prince are rulers of. The real Artois used to be a small county inhabited by Germanic peoples; it was given to France as a dowry of a princess in the 1400's. This Artois is not meant to come EXACTLY from that Artois, but it is based on it. Like Arendelle, it was split off from the "real word" in the 1800's. Make sense?**

 **-Kenzie**

 **(PS. Don't worry, Jack will show up very soon).**


	3. Chapter 2: Beware the Moon, They Said

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

"Well, I think that's it. We're done for today," Elsa said, rising. "Thank you for your time, gentlemen. Until next week."

Her board of advisers rose as one and bowed to her; then she dismissed them and they went their way. Elsa climbed the stairs to her bedchamber, which she now shared with Anna again. There was really no reason for the queen to sleep in the same room as her sister, but now that they could be together, Anna and Elsa found that they couldn't bear being apart.

Elsa entered the room, walked straight to the double doors that opened onto the balcony, and flung them open, drinking in the night air. Then she turned.

Anna was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling; her hands were completely still. It was rare, and rather discomforting, to see her so lethargic.

"Oh, Anna," Elsa said, crossing the room and sitting next to her. She knew what Anna was worried about; it'd been on her mind for weeks.

When Kristoff had gone to the mountain to sign his contract, he'd promised to be back within a week. Since then, six weeks had gone by without a single word of him, and Anna grew more and more anxious with each passing week. Although she tried not to show it, Elsa felt anxious too; it was unlike Kristoff to stay away so long, and and it was quite unheard of for him not to send a messenger to explain his absence. There were only two options: either he was staying away and keeping silent on purpose for some reason, or he'd been forcibly detained.

Neither were options that Elsa wanted to think about.

"Where is he?" Anna said, running her hand over the bedspread. "We have to send someone after him, Elsa. We _have_ to."

Before Elsa could answer, a knock sounded at her door.

"Enter," Elsa called.

A guard entered. He bowed. "The queen's presence is requested in the courtyard," he said.

Elsa got to her feet. "Just a moment, Anna." The last time this had happened, a valuable artifact had been stolen from the courtyard. It had since been found in the possession of a village toddler who didn't know its worth, but all such things had since been removed from the courtyard, so Elsa couldn't imagine what was the case this time.

When she entered the courtyard, her heart literally sank to her toes. A burly white reindeer stood before her, its head hanging low.

" _Sven_?" Elsa gasped. "No! Sven, where's Kristoff? Where's your master?" But Sven's head only drooped lower. He had no idea where Kristoff was, Elsa realized, dread creeping into her heart. He wouldn't have come here if he did. He would never leave Kristoff.

He was well and truly missing, Elsa realized.

Anna took the news horribly. Elsa returned to her alone, closed the door, and tried to break it to her gently.

But Anna burst into tears.

"H-h-he's d-dead, Elsa! I kn-know he is!" she sobbed.

"He can't be," said Elsa firmly. "Sven would never leave his side even if he was dead. It just means that they got separated, that's all."

"Well, n-now we know s-s-something's happened to h-him for sure! If they were s-separated…Sven would never let that happen if he had a choice!..."

Elsa felt a cold tickle of fear squeeze at her heart again. She swallowed it back hastily, remembering, as she always did, the troll's warning long long ago.

 _Fear will be your enemy_.

The breeze blew through the open door; the clouds parted, revealing an enormous, full moon, brighter than any Elsa could remember seeing. And she remembered Pabbie's other, more recent words.

 _Beware the moon_.

She got to her feet slowly, a panic she couldn't quite explain rising slowly in her chest. She felt her hands trembling at her sides, and she clenched them tightly so Anna wouldn't see. She tried to walk normally, lightly, towards the open doors.

She would just close the doors, she thought, draw the curtain so they couldn't see that moon anymore, and then maybe she wouldn't feel so afraid.

"Elsa?" said Anna.

Elsa ignored her. She reached the doors, grabbed the handles harder than she intended, and pushed them closed.

They blew right back open with a sudden gust of wind, knocking Elsa back a few paces. Frost covered her hands, and this time when she reached for the handles they froze.

"Elsa!" said Anna.

The light around them grew brighter. Elsa looked up. The moon was _swelling_ \- swelling fast, visibly fast, now twice its normal size, now three times. The wind was now unnaturally strong. Elsa jumped to her feet, frost spreading out across the floor in patterns around her. _Calm down_ , she told herself. She was still learning how to harness her power, after all, and she always seemed to underestimate its strength. And it was always out of control when she was afraid.

She lunged for the doors, but was swept back again and this time knocked off her feet. As she scrambled to stand, five shadows appeared on the moonlit floor next to her. Now completely terrified, Elsa turned her face to the moon again.

She saw them - the figures that cast the shadows - descending towards her, as if the wind was blowing them. She heard Anna scream in terror, heard a similar sound ripping from her own throat. She jumped to her feet and threw everything she had at them, in a cold, impenetrable wall of ice.

It shattered around her ears.

The five landed, and she couldn't get a good look at them, because she was blinded by panic. Because that wall hadn't shattered by accident; Elsa knew, just as surely as she knew her own name, that something else - SOMEONE else - had done that.

She struck again, this time a sharp, jagged line of icicles, and then had to duck because they came flying back at her.

What was happening?

She pushed a strong, cold gale at them, and it was met by another, equally strong gale. Elsa put every last ounce of her strength into the wall, straining to feel the other one bend against her will.

It didn't.

Instead, with a screaming, shattering sound, the two walls broke and fell in a shower of ice shards around them all, and Elsa dropped to her knees, exhausted, all the fight gone out of her. A few lone snowflakes began to fall from the ceiling.

Elsa clenched her hands, trying to re-gather some of her lost power...why had it seeped past her so quickly? She staggered to her feet and lifted her head to face the five, and looked straight into a pair of icy blue eyes.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Thank you guys for all the new favorites and follows. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy.**

 **Take a second and let me know what you think. I value your feedback, negative or otherwise. It really helps.**

 **-Kenzie**


	4. Chapter 3: The Guardians

**I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

Elsa felt an undercurrent against her skin.

Snow was drifting around her, but she barely noticed. The boy with the blue eyes was lowering his staff, and as exhausted as Elsa felt, he barely even looked winded. Without a shadow of a doubt, she _knew_ that he was the one who'd been fighting her back; she could feel his power somehow when she looked at his face, and she understood at once that it was much, much stronger than her own. Her heart was pounding hard, with fear and something else, something that was certainly not fear...

"So this is our warm welcome," said a growly voice.

Elsa turned quickly and nearly jumped out of her skin; the Person who had spoken was not a Person, but indeed a Rabbit, and at that a Rabbit that was at least a foot taller than she was.

"I knew we were wasting our time!" the Rabbit continued. "And boy, it's cold in here."

"Shh! Bunny!" said another voice, one that had a light, tinkly sound to it. This came from a small, multicolored, feathered person whose gossamer wings kept her floating about a foot above the ground. "Don't _insult_ her!"

"Oh, sorry," said the Rabbit, rolling his enormous eyes. " _I_ insulted _her._ Even though she's the one that blasted me - me, the Easter Bunny! - the second I showed up!"

"Oh, be quiet, Bunny," said a large, slightly gravelly voice, and Elsa had to crane her head up to look at the fourth of the ensemble. An enormous, burly man with a great white beard and a heavy fur coat smiled as he lowered his head to her.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," he said courteously.

Elsa stared at him, feeling as if she was missing something. _They break into my castle, and then they give me a royal greeting_? she said - but she said it inside her head, of course.

But she drew herself up and answered, as the queen should, "Greetings," and then stopped, completely at a loss. She was almost too astonished and confused to feel afraid. Besides, as strange as the others might be, there was something about the man in the coat that seemed to calm her the second she looked into his bright, beady eyes.

"I am North," the big man announced. "This -" he gestured to the Rabbit, who was scowling heavily, "this is Bunny. That is Toothiana," the fairy, "and this is Jack." The boy with the blue eyes held her stare for a moment, and she had to force herself to look away. She could still feel him watching her, like a cold breeze against her skin.

Toothiana darted in front of Elsa, lowered herself to the ground, and bowed gracefully. "Thank you for your hospitality, your Majesty," she said.

Hospitality?! Really. As if Elsa had _invited_ them.

"Oh, and that is Sandy," added North apologetically. A small golden person was floating just above the ground, near North's foot, and was tapping his leg; Elsa had overlooked him in all the previous excitement.

"Wonderful," said Elsa, cringing at the forced tone of her voice. What was going on? Who were these people? Why were they in her castle? Did someone intend to explain anything to her anytime soon?

" _Wonderful?!_ " Anna shrieked. "What about th-th-this is wonderful?"

Until this moment, Elsa had forgotten her sister's presence entirely. Anna stood behind her, covered in snow and shivering, but with her usual obstinate I'm-totally-fine expression.

"Anna!" said Elsa, alarmed. Are you all right?"

"Oh, fine!" Anna said, her voice shrill. "Just a little COLD is all, considering it's SNOWING in here!"

"Sorry," said Elsa anxiously. "I'll take care of it in a minute, I'm a bit drained right now."

Anna lifted her chin. "Why don't you take care of... _them_ first?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Bunny remarked, " _them_ happens to be standing right here."

"We're doing this all backwards," Toothiana said anxiously, fluttering in front of Elsa again. The moonlight made her feathers look iridescent, and her eyes shone brightly. "We're scaring her, people!" To Elsa, she said, "What we haven't explained yet is that we're actually here here to help you."

 _To help me? Well then maybe you shouldn't have broken in my balcony window! There are DOORS, after all_! Elsa shouted - but in her head. "Here to help me what?" she asked aloud. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call in my guards."

"I'm getting there! You're the queen, right?" asked Toothiana hastily.

"Yes," said Elsa simply; it seemed pointless to ask how they knew that.

"Well, the Man in the Moon sent us because he knew you were in trouble. That's all."

"The who?" asked Elsa. She could only think to herself, _beware the moon, beware the moon._ She knew Anna was thinking the same thing, because she heard her sister gasp.

"The Man in the Moon," repeated Toothiana. "He watches over every single land that has children in it and when they're in danger, he sends us to their aid. We're the Guardians, you know."

Elsa was sure she felt a headache starting. "The Guardians of what? And why would my children be in danger?"

"Because your whole kingdom's in danger," said Toothiana, simply. "And we're the Guardians of childhood, selected by the Man in the Moon himself."

"What do you mean, my whole kingdom's in danger?!" Hadn't the trolls said the same thing? But then again they'd also said to beware the moon, and Elsa had little doubt now that this was what they'd meant.

"Well," said Toothiana, "we have an old enemy. His name is Pitch, and he tried to wreak havoc on the world we protect a short while ago, but we defeated him. But now he's making his way here. And here, you see, his power works on more than just children. Here, unlike earth, even the adults have young hearts and happy dreams, and they believe in the impossible. So this is Pitch's playground."

Elsa had so many questions crowding her mind that it seemed impossible to ask any of them at all. So she settled on, "Who exactly is this Pitch?"

"His old name is Nightmare King," said North. "He once was Lord High General of the Galaxies. No more! He was corrupted long time ago. He is now nothing but darkness and fear and bad dreams."

"And that's what he wants the whole world to be," said Toothiana. "But since he couldn't get that, he came to Arendelle instead. He's started the spread of fear by taking a hostage."

"A hostage?" Elsa echoed.

"Yes, a hostage," Bunny growled. "A person seized and held as security for the fulfillment of a condition."

"I know what a hostage is!" Elsa said. "But who has he taken hostage?"

"Kristoff!" Anna cried.

"Bingo," Bunny muttered.

Elsa and Anna stared at him, and he had the grace to look somewhat ashamed. "She's right, though," he said. "You're right. It's Kristoff."

"Well, where is he now?!" Anna cried. But then her face turned blue and she swayed a little.

"Oh, no," Elsa said aloud. "Oh, _no_!" She hurried to Anna, catching her as she sagged.

" _Guards_!" she shouted.

* * *

 **Don't worry, nothing's really wrong with Anna. I just thought that was a good place to end. And I didn't make Pitch's backstory up, it's in the books.**

 **Thank you to the awesome people that are reading/following/favoriting/reviewing! It means a lot! Remember that your feedback is vital \- if you have a thought, let me know, negative or otherwise.**

 **Thanks thanks thanks! One more update before Christmas.**

 **-Kenzie**


	5. Chapter 4: The Interrupted Council

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

"She is stressed, is all," North said comfortingly, putting an enormous hand on Elsa's shoulder. "And she was cold. And the news was too much for her. Now, we let her sleep, for we have much to discuss with you."

Anna was lying on her bed, her eyelids fluttering as she clasped her sister's hand. The room was back to its normal temperature. The five Guardians, as they called themselves, were clustered around the bed, and the little gold man was floating next to Anna, reaching a hand towards her.

"No!" Elsa shouted at him.

All five Guardians turned to look at her.

"Don't touch her," Elsa commanded, squeezing Anna's hand tighter and glaring at Sandy. "Don't you dare do a _thing_ to her!"

"But he is only giving her good dream," North protested.

"I don't trust you," Elsa said frankly, pulling her gaze away from North, for when she looked at him, her emotions seemed to turn themselves on their heads; distrust and fear dissolved into happiness. This was not what she needed right now. "And she can dream on her own. Leave. Her. Be."

A small, brightly colored object perched itself on Elsa's knee, followed by two more that looked exactly like it. Looking closer, Elsa saw that they seemed to be miniature versions of Toothiana. They flapped their little wings and stared up at her angrily, making high pitched chattering sounds.

"Shh! Girls!" said Toothiana, mortified. "Don't sass her!"

She needn't have bothered, since Elsa couldn't understand a word they were saying, but the fairies stopped anyway.

"Oh, look, Elsa! They're so cute!" said Anna drowsily.

 _Are you kidding me with this_? said Elsa - but she said it inside her head, of course. "Anna," she said, rising, "go to sleep, if you can."

"Don't tell me to go...I'm...not sleeepy!" Anna muttered, sinking into sleep even as she spoke. The glare she'd tried to direct at Elsa melted into her trademark mouth-wide-open, dead-asleep look.

Elsa turned from her and faced the Guardians, clenching her fingers at her sides. They all looked back at her; while North looked merely as if he was waiting to see what she would do, Bunny looked immensely impatient. Toothiana was whispering rapidly with the little Toothianas. Jack stood by the window, still watching her; she couldn't guess what he was thinking, but he hadn't taken his eyes off her since first he landed.

"Well then," she said, drawing in a breath, trying to feel more like the queen and less like a scattered, frightened little girl. "You said you had something to discuss with me."

* * *

Frost curled in patterns on the walls of Elsa's royal council chamber, matching Elsa's nervous mood.

Jack Frost walked next to them, tapping them with his staff, floating an inch or two above the carpet; when he did, they curled and blossomed into intricate shapes. North drummed his enormous hands on the table, while Bunny and Toothiana whispered together anxiously. Sandy said absolutely nothing.

Elsa shut the great doors to the chamber. The six guards that had come with them from Anna's room stood outside; she'd told them she'd call if and when any danger arose. They clearly trusted the Guardians far less even than she did, and that wasn't saying much; but of course, they could only obey her.

She didn't want them, didn't want anyone who could repeat it, to hear what the Guardians were going to say to her. A rumor of a plot against Arendelle would have its people cringing in fear, something Elsa didn't want.

She walked hastily to her seat at the head of the table. There was immediate silence; even Toothiana and Bunny stopped their chattering, and five pairs of eyes turned to Elsa.

Somehow, even though she on occasion faced her entire kingdom with relative calm, even though she'd spoken to a whole panel of wise advisors much older than her without qualming, even though she'd shaken hands with kings and queens - her heart was pounding and her breath came hard. She wasn't used to feeling so _unnerved_ \- not scared, exactly; more like she couldn't get her feet under her. Metaphorically.

She sat down, drawing her cloak tighter around her. The cold deepened and little snowflakes drifted onto the table. Elsa forced herself to focus, and the snow stopped.

 _You start_ , she thought, looking at North. She cleared her throat and started to try to find a more tactful way to say it, but oddly enough North seemed to understand already what she meant.

"If you will allow me, your Majesty," he said respectfully, inclining his head.

Elsa nodded, taking a breath. "Go ahead."

North furrowed his brow, looking thoughtful; then he began.

"As I mentioned," he began, "we have old, old enemy. His name is Pitch. The same way we are Guardians of joy and happiness in children, he is, in a way, Guardian of Nightmares and Fear. We coexist with him because we need fear in order to understand and appreciate the good things in life. This is why we are called not to vanquish him, but only to fight him when he is too strong."

"Called?" Elsa said. "Called by whom?"

"By Man in Moon."

"Who is _he_?"

"He is man that lives in moon. Now," said North, in a voice that clearly stated that the subject was closed - and it was at that moment that Elsa realized that, even though he paid her respect, it was he who was really in charge - "now, Pitch lives on Earth, as do we. But Arendelle is not on Earth."

"It isn't?"

"No," growled Bunny, tapping his paw at a frantic speed on the table. "Crikey, this story is moving slower than a snail on holiday. Arendelle is in an alternate universe to Earth. It got closed off magically about two hundred years ago. If you were to leave Arendelle, you'd still be in the PU - you don't mind me calling the parallel universe a PU, do you? - even if you went to Germany, where Corona is. That's in the PU too. On the real Earth, there's no Arendelle or Corona. See?"

"No, not really -"

"Well, anyway," continued Bunny, ignoring the murderous expression North had directed at him, "Pitch left earth. He came to Arendelle. Once he takes over Arendelle, he'll take over Corona. Once then, he'll try to take over Artois. And on and on it goes."

" _Why_?" Elsa asked, deciding for now on suspension of belief. It was necessary in order to understand a thing they were telling here. "Why here? Why not earth, where he belongs?"

"Do you ever listen to anything?" asked Bunny. "Because he _can't take over earth,_ stupid! So he's coming somewhere he _can_ take over. Does that make any sense, or is your brain frozen too?"

" _Bunny_!" gasped Toothiana, her tone implying shock at his lack of respect. Elsa almost shouted _It's fine_! she was so annoyed. But as her father had taught her, part of what made her the queen the fact that people treated her like the queen. She almost heard his voice in her head, saying, _You will be the queen only because you_ _ **are**_ _the queen, daughter. Never forget that. When someone questions your absolute authority, never let it pass unquestioned._

Never let it pass. _Never let it pass_.

* * *

 **I apologize for taking so long to post! Holidays are crazy. Also, this is short and there's no Jelsa but there will be another update in a couple of days, I promise.**

 **Please review! Thank you Princess of Flames and PhantomWynd. :D**


	6. Chapter 5: Lighten Up!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

Elsa stood up, putting both hands on the table. "I think we should delay this meeting," she said abruptly. "Until tomorrow."

"WHAT?" shouted Bunny, sitting bolt upright. "Delay the meeting?! But -"

"The meeting is over," said Elsa firmly, hoping her voice implied that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Before anyone else could speak, she turned her back on them and walked through the door.

The guards, waiting outside the door for her, all straightened, saluted, and looked at her expectantly.

Elsa cleared her throat and composed herself. "They'll need rooms," she told the guards, in the calmest voice she possessed. "Just for the night."

Sleep wouldn't come to Elsa that night.

The fact that there were strange people - from an _alternate universe_ \- sleeping somewhere in her castle was unnerving. She still wasn't sure she believed it all.

She had learned long ago that the longer she stayed in bed sleepless, the longer it would take to fall asleep, and the more useless she would be when she woke up in the morning. So she got up, drawing her robe around her, and walked out onto the balcony outside the room she shared with Anna.

The coolness of the night washed over her and she spread her fingers, letting her extra restlessness spark off her fingers in tiny flakes of snow. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, trying to relax a bit.

"You know, you totally over-reacted back there."

Elsa almost jumped out of her skin. Jack Frost was sitting on the rail in front of her, and she could have sworn that he hadn't been there seconds ago. He looked more at home in the moonlight, she noticed; his eyes were even brighter and his skin seemed to be glowing slightly. She was startled by his sudden appearance, of course; but something told her that wasn't the only reason her heart was beating slightly faster.

"What do you mean, I overreacted?" she asked, refusing to show how affected she was.

Jack's eyes gleamed at her in the darkness. "Back in the meeting. You know, when you squelched Bunny like that."

"I did not _squelch_ Bunny."

"You did squelch Bunny. You were all, 'oh no, he's stealing my power! Bye guys, meeting's over!'"

Elsa glared at him. Had her motive really been that obvious? " _Stealing my power_?"

Jack jumped down from the rail and stood in front of her. "Tell me that's not what you were thinking."

Elsa stepped backwards, without quite knowing why. "That's not what I was thinking."

Jack laughed. "Okay, do it again, but don't lie this time."

"That's not what I was thinking," said Elsa.

"Yes, it was."

"No, it -" Elsa stopped herself, realizing too late that they were arguing like children. "Why are you up here anyway? Do you know how late it is?"

"You weren't asleep anyway. Lighten up, your Majesty."

Elsa turned away from him, feeling strangely flustered and... _warm?_ "I'm going to sleep now. Maybe you should do the same."

"I don't sleep," he said from behind her. She resisted the sudden urge to stop and say something snarky; she was the queen, after all. Besides, she was horrible at thinking of quick replies. She drew her robe closer around her and hurried into her room without looking back, though she could feel his gaze on her back, and it seemed to chill her like an icy breath of wind.

* * *

The sunlight woke her only seconds before Anna did.

"Where'd they go, Elsa?" she demanded, shaking her sister's shoulder.

Elsa grabbed her pillow and put it over her head.

"Elsa, you have to get up sometime. It's almost nine o'clock."

Elsa sat bolt upright. "It's _what_?"

Anna burst out laughing. "Lighten up! It's only seven. Nine o'clock isn't even late, anyway."

 _Lighten up_. The same thing Jack had said last night.

Elsa scrambled to her feet, knocking Anna onto the floor. " _They_ are sleeping in the castle."

"Where?" asked Anna, jumping up immediately. "In the west wing, where the guests sleep?"

"Why? Does it matter?" Elsa pulled on her robe.

Anna followed her into the wardrobe, where Elsa's handmaid was just putting out her day dress. "It matters because I just _fell_ asleep yesterday and didn't get to see what happened. Meanwhile, you were probably up all night talking to them."

"I was not," said Elsa. "Can I take a bath, Anna? I have things to do today."

"Things? Like what? Can I come?"

Elsa sighed. "As it happens, Anna, I am meeting with the Guardians today. And yes, you can come."

Anna squealed, clapping her hands. "Thank you, Elsa!"

Elsa laughed, in spite of herself. "It's a meeting, Anna, not a party. Meetings can be very tiresome."

"But I'll bet this one won't. Hurry up, Elsa!" Anna urged, pushing her sister into the bath-chamber where a steaming bath had already been poured for the queen. "I can't wait!" She hurried out of the room, making sure to add over her shoulder again, " _Hurry up!_ "

* * *

 **Haha, this was fun to write. I apologize, I meant to upload this like two days ago but I forgot. I will try and make the next update longer ;)**

 **Thank you so much for all the support! The response has been amazing. Everyone who favorited, followed or reviewed in the last week, you are all awesome.**

 **-Kenzie**


	7. Chapter 6: Elsa at Council

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

The first thing Elsa did, once she got out of the bath and dressed, was to call one of the guards to gather the Guardians in the council room once again. She was feeling far better than she had last night - rested, calm, not so nervous or scared. Despite the nagging feeling that Jack Frost might have been right when he'd said she overreacted the night before, she was quite glad that she had called an end to that little meeting, if only for the reason that she was in a much better mood for discussion now.

Besides, what exactly did this Jack know? Was he the queen of a kingdom? Obviously not, which meant he had no right to instruct her on how to conduct her business. Then again, she had no idea who exactly he was and what he really did. For all she knew, he could be king of Frostland.

That then begged the question of what he was doing in HER kingdom, along with the other Guardians.

She still wasn't sure she entirely trusted the Guardians. They didn't seem evil at all, and maybe they even had good intentions; but the trolls had warned her about them, and the trolls never lied, nor were they ever wrong. But Elsa had determined to go through things calmly and rationally, to gather as much information as possible, and then act on it.

It occurred to her, as she walked to the council room, that she should go to see the trolls again. It was very close to her last visit, but this was a special occasion, and she certainly would need their advice no matter what the Guardians said.

Entering the room, Elsa found North, Bunny, Jack and Sandy - and Anna, sitting next to North and chattering with him as if he was her long lost cousin. Elsa felt slightly annoyed - did her sister not understand that people were not to be trusted so soon after you met them? It seemed that her encounter with Hans, however much she regretted it, had taught her nothing.

"Ah, your Majesty!" cried North. Everyone at the table rose to their feet and bowed, remaining standing until Elsa sat down. This was the custom for Elsa's normal council, and she hadn't expected the Guardians to know or execute it. She smiled as graciously as she could and said, "Please, be seated."

Bunny grunted as he sank back into his chair. Jack winked at Elsa from his spot at the table and mouthed something at her she didn't catch; clearly he hadn't forgotten last night's little encounter either. Elsa couldn't help but be extremely curious as to what he was trying to say to her; but she had business to attend to. For one thing, the fairy was absent.

"Where's Toothiana?" she asked the room at large.

"Oh, she is out in village," said North airily.

"She's _where_?"

"She's down in the village," said Anna cheerfully. "I went with her this morning. She was making friends left and right, Elsa - you should have seen how the little children loved her!"

 _You set a Guardian loose in my kingdom, and we don't even KNOW them_? Elsa shouted - but in her head. Aloud she said, "We'd better call a guard and tell him to find her."

"She's not doing any harm," said Anna, frowning.

"I didn't say she was." Why was everyone able to guess what she was thinking lately? "I just...think she should be here, in the meeting, so she doesn't miss anything," Elsa finished, hearing the defensiveness in her own voice. She caught Jack's eye from further down the table, and she could swear she saw him smirking.

This was ridiculous. Why on earth should she need to feel defensive? She didn't want the people knowing about the Guardians yet, which was entirely fair, considering she didn't know if she could trust them!

After a guard had been called and sent away in search of the errant fairy, Elsa turned to North. "You mentioned last night that my entire kingdom is in danger because of an old enemy of yours that left your world and travelled to ours."

"What?" asked Anna.

Elsa continued as if she hadn't heard. "You also said that he had taken Kristoff hostage and that you were here to help me defend myself against him."

"No we didn't," interrupted Bunny.

"Bunny, do not speak when the queen is speaking," said North, levelling his bushy eyebrows at the rabbit.

"So," Elsa concluded, "tell me now how you intend to help me."

"Well," said Bunny, "for one thing, no one said anything about you _defending_ yourself. That's not what this is about. This is about fighting back! You don't defeat Pitch by locking yourself behind a door and waiting for him to show up, you do it by going out to get him!" He slapped an oddly shaped stick, which Elsa had observed hanging in his belt, against his paw threateningly. " _That's_ what we're here to help you do!"

 _Fighting back_. Elsa felt a little lick of fear. When she was little and knew that she was going to become the reigning monarch of Arendelle one day, she used to worry countless times about having to fight. Back then, she'd envisioned riding on a horse with a sword at her side at the head of an army, and that scared her to death. But now, she understood that although the queen regent wasn't expected to ride into battle, the strength that it took to prepare the kingdom and the kingdom's people for war presented a prospect just as frightening.

"Bunny is exaggerating," said Jack, speaking up for the first time. Like the night before, however, he had not taken his eyes off of Elsa; and like the night before, it was unnerving her.

"Not by much," said Bunny.

"Does he speak?" interrupted Anna, pointing at Sandy.

"No," said Jack, grinning affectionately at the little golden man.

"How does he communicate?"

"You'll see when he chooses to show you."

North cleared his throat loudly, with a slightly reproving look in Jack and Anna's direction. "Your Majesty, the threat is simple; it has already been explained. The solution, now that is not so simple."

Elsa folded her hands. "What are our options?" she asked.

"We haven't many," he said. "One is to go to Pitch's lair and attack him directly. The other is, as Bunny said, to wait for him to come here and then attack him."

 _Attack him. And what exactly does that involve_? thought Elsa. "Which would be the better course of action?"

"If I may," said Bunny, barely restraining from shouting, "going to find _him_ , of course! He'll only attack Arendelle when he's ready - when he considers himself strong enough. Do we really want to wait for him to grow and grow in power, getting harder and harder to defeat? I think don't _think_ so!"

"There is every advantage to _not_ waiting," said North, "except for one. We go to find him, that means we fight him in his lair. We wait for him to come here, that means we fight him on ground familiar to you. But it puts your subjects in danger."

"What exactly does fighting him entail?" asked Elsa. "Has he an army? Do we meet him with battle?"

"If only it were that easy," muttered Jack.

 _Easy_?

"The way we fight each other," explained North, "is not through warfare. We weaken each other by stealing each other's strength, so to speak. So we weaken Pitch by sapping his strength. We do not kill or vanquish him; he must remain in the world, for he has a task as important as ours. But we are to keep him in check."

"How do we do that?" asked Elsa. "Take his strength, as you say."

"Mainly," said Bunny, "you show no fear, because he feeds on that. And when he sends his little nightmare minions at you, you don't turn tail and run. Instead, you use whatever power you have available to kill it. Kill all his minions, and he has no strength left. Boom! The end."

"Whatever power you have available?" Elsa echoed.

"As an example, Sandy fights them with the strength of his good dreams," said North. "You would fight them much as Jack does - he freezes them into nothing."

Elsa remembered the raw strength of Jack's power from the night before. Not only was he stronger, he was much more in control of his power than she of hers, she thought wistfully, and suddenly wished she could prove herself as strong as he in a fight.

The door swung open, and a guard stepped in and bowed, followed by Toothiana, who was in turn followed by her usual string of little fairies.

"What did I miss?" she asked brightly.

* * *

 **Thank you for the support, everyone! Please review :D**


	8. Chapter 7: A Decision is Made

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

The late afternoon sunlight filtered into the room; Elsa passed a hand over her forehead, feeling tired and unpleasantly warm. She didn't exactly _hate_ feeling warm, but it always made her feel drowsy. It didn't help that the meeting had been going on for hours and hours.

Anna had gone within the first hour; as high as her spirits were, it was difficult for her to keep her cheer when they were discussing someone, something, who had captured the person she loved the most. Sandy had drifted off to sleep so many times that, after a while, no one had bothered waking him up again. Jack had left not long after Anna, claiming that "long meetings just aren't my thing, sorry." Oddly enough, something in her seemed to miss his presence; she had noticed almost immediately that when he left, the feeling that claimed the room was tangibly more serious, more depressing.

If she was going to be honest with herself, Elsa knew that although Jack Frost really might have some sort of power over people's moods (these Guardians had powers like that, as North had admitted), he had an even stronger hold on her mood just on his own merit. He made her uneasy, it was true, but Elsa had discovered in the brief time he'd stayed that he also had a talent for saying things that made her laugh - and it was rare, even when she was truly happy, that Elsa felt she had a cause to laugh.

At any rate, only North and Bunny and Toothiana were left, sitting in the seats closest to Elsa. At the moment, no one was speaking. Bunny's foot tapped against the floor, Toothiana's wings fluttered erratically, and North glared out of the window; but they had talked themselves out.

It was over. The decision had been made.

And no one was quite happy about it.

"I suppose we've got to tell all the others now," said Elsa, addressing North.

It was odd: the stiff, awkward formality had gone from between them all; Elsa felt rather more comfortable with them, especially North. Not completely so, but _more_ so. She still wasn't sure - in that misty, grey area of her brain - whether or not she trusted them completely, but she believed them and at the very least believed that their motives were what they said them to be.

The question was, _really_ , if she trusted this Man in the Moon person whom they claimed sent them. She was certainly going to have to take this matter to the trolls. (She hadn't mentioned the trolls to North yet; she was biding her time).

"Can we take a break first?" asked Toothiana nervously. She was the most reluctant about the entire plan. "I could do with some food!" she added, when everyone looked at her.

"Let's just get this over with!" Bunny had been impatient from the very beginning; his mind had been made up since the meeting started.

"I agree," said Elsa, when North turned to her. "I think we should tell them now."

* * *

"Are you KIDDING me?" Anna shrieked.

Elsa glanced at Jack, who had returned with Anna. He didn't seem at all startled by her outburst; he ran his long hands over his battered wooden staff, and looked thoughtful. She wondered how many fights he'd been in, how many fights _they_ , the Guardians, had had to put up over the years. How long had he been doing this? How long had _they_ been doing this?

"No, Anna," she said aloud. "I'm not kidding. I know you might be scared, but trust me, you'll be completely safe here -"

"THAT'S not what I can't believe!" Anna could get quite passionate when she was angry; two bright spots of color had risen into her face. "You think you're going to leave Arendelle and travel to Pitch's Lair, wherever the HECK that is, to find my fiancee, and _leave me behind_?"

Elsa felt a jolt of astonishment.

Although really, she thought, she shouldn't be surprised at all. If Elsa, who was if anything the more timid of the two sisters, was brave enough to travel into such danger, why on earth shouldn't Anna be?

"You can't go, Anna," she said quickly. "Somebody has to stay to rule and protect the kingdom."

"But I'm rubbish at ruling!" Anna protested. "You know that!"

"No, you aren't," said Elsa firmly. "And I need you to do this, Anna. I'm the queen; this is one of my subjects being held hostage. Besides, I have a power and you don't. I _have_ to go."

"Ok, fine, you have to go! I get that!" Anna said. "I never disagreed! But why does that mean I _can't_ go?"

"Because then there would be no one to take my place!"

"Can't we get someone else to do that?"

"Who?" Elsa asked. "Who would we ask, Anna? There is no one else!"

"Oh...I don't know! One of your advisors, or something. The Grand Pabbie."

"The advisors are just advisors," Elsa protested. "And Pabbie would never consent to ruling in my place, and anyway it isn't his responsibility. It _is_ your responsibility."

"My responsibility is to Kristoff," Anna said fiercely.

"Okay, Anna, I understand that, but…"

" _But_ nothing! Don't you understand? If it were me, nothing could keep Kristoff away!"

Elsa sighed, eyeing the Guardians, who were looking between herself and Anna like a court tennis match. "But Kristoff isn't the queen's sister! Look, Anna, the best thing you could do to help Kristoff would be to keep Arendelle safe while I'm gone."

"Don't patronize me!" said Anna shrilly. "And how could _I_ keep Arendelle safe if this Pitch person, or whatever he is, shows up while you're on your way to his Lair? How do you know that won't happen? And if it does, I'm not like you - as you just pointed out. I don't have any special powers I can use to blast him with."

"Pitch won't come here," North interrupted. "It would be most unwise of him."

"Although I agree," said Bunny coolly. "It might be useful if there was someone with any skill looking after the place while we're away."

"Well...Toothiana can do it," said Anna, whirling to face her sister.. "That's perfect! The people _love_ her. You should have seen - "

"No!" Elsa said, raising her voice. She could feel her rigid self-control slipping, and she desperately tried to keep a grip on her temper. "For the last time, Anna, _no_! Toothiana has nothing to do with Arendelle!"

"You can't make me stay!" Anna shouted back.

"Oh, yes I can!"

"But you _won't_! If you don't let me come I'll never forgive you!"

The room had grown several degrees colder. Elsa bit back the angry answer rising to her lips and took a deep breath, relaxing herself until the room returned to its former temperature.

"I'm not trying to keep you from anything, Anna," she said. "I'm keeping you safe."

"I don't want to be kept safe, Elsa. I want to see Kristoff," Anna said, and although she sounded calmer, Elsa heard the hard undertone in her voice. That was the Anna voice, the one that meant that she wasn't giving up, that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She could see, too, what she hadn't noticed before, and what wouldn't be noticeable at all to someone who didn't know Anna, and that was that her sister was close to tears.

 _It would be far safer for Anna to stay here,_ she thought. _But really, is it worth fighting? I have a right to command Anna to stay, but have I the right to keep her away from Kristoff_?

* * *

 **Thanks for your support, guys!**

 **Please review. Even if it's just** ** _good_** **or** ** _bad_** **. It really helps :)**

 **-Kenzie**


	9. Chapter 8: The Queen and Her Sister

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

Elsa and Anna walked the halls of the castle together, deep in conversation.

"It's not that I don't think you're brave enough," Elsa said. "But Anna, you can't defend yourself. You've seen what yourself what some of these Guardians can do, and apparently it took all of them together last time to beat Pitch. We can't risk leaving one of them at home and replacing her with you, no matter how willing you are."

"Then I'll learn how to fight with my hands," answered Anna. "It can be done, you know. Jack told me there are lots of female warriors where he comes from."

"When did he tell you that?" asked Elsa, startled.

"When we left the meeting yesterday," said Anna, impatiently. "But that's not the point."

"Anna -"

"No, hear me out! How am I going to be any safer here than I am with you?"

"We'll be fighting, Anna."

"What if that...Pitch person decides to attack, and I'm all alone?"

"North doesn't think he will," began Elsa.

"Oh, and you just _believe_ him, huh? What's with you just believing these Guardians, Elsa? You always tell me not to just trust people right off the bat, but that's exactly what you're doing!"

"No, it isn't!" Elsa protested, thrown by hearing her very own fear voiced by her sister. "I've thought a lot about this, Anna, and I don't completely trust them, but have you ever seen a man that inspires trust like North?"

"Yes, I have! His name was Hans!"

"Hans was different," said Elsa, irritated. "You trusted him because you trust everyone. I didn't trust him the least bit."

"So basically, if I trust anyone it's because I'm just naive, but if you trust someone it's okay because you know everything!" Anna was beginning to wave her arms, which she did when she was agitated.

"Would you calm down! That's not what I said at all," Elsa broke in. "We're getting very much off topic. I'm not trying to argue here."

"Oh, you're not, are you! Because -"

"Anna," said Elsa, "hear me out. I'm not trying to punish you, or insinuate you aren't brave enough, or whatever it is you think I'm trying to do. I'm trying to keep you safe. What if something happened to you again and I couldn't do anything about it? I would never forgive myself, and I would never forgive you. And neither would Kristoff, by the way. The best thing you can do for him, and for me and the kingdom, is stay here and keep a watch for me."

"I knew it!" Anna was practically screaming. "I knew you were going to make me stay! I knew -"

"Anna! Please just calm down -"

" - that you would keep me away from him -"

"Did you hear a word I said, Anna? I -"

" - even though I haven't seen him in months -"

" - am not trying to keep you away from him -"

" - and I miss him more than I've ever missed anything before ever, and I'm more worried than I've ever been in my entire life, and it's going to be so awful here without him, and without you, and without anyone, and I'm going to be...so...MISERABLE!" At the last word, Anna burst into tears.

"Anna," Elsa began.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU HEARTLESS...ICE QUEEN!"

Elsa reached for Anna's hand, holding on even when Anna tried to pull away, and wrapped her arms around her sister tightly, and after a moment Anna hugged her back. They stood like that for a while, until Anna raised her head suddenly.

"You have to bring him back," she said. "You _HAVE_ to."

* * *

Elsa walked by herself now, outside the castle. It was just before dusk, and there was a chill in the air.

At times, Elsa loved how completely _herself_ she felt in the cold, how the power within in her seemed to wake up and manifest itself in the frost that danced on her fingers; but at other times, it worried her terribly. It was the vestiges of her dark childhood, pulling at her, warning her over and over that she must keep it in, that she must not use it in anyway, that it was evil.

She hadn't been feeling herself lately at all; she kept feeling like that scared child again, faced with things she didn't understand and couldn't control. Also, though she had tried not to show it, her heart had sunk when Anna called her a 'heartless ice queen.' Of course, Elsa had been called that a great deal at the start of her reign - along with monster, destroyer, and a great deal of other things - but she'd thought she'd moved past all that. Hearing it now made some small, dark place in the back of her head open its mouth and whisper every insult she'd ever heard, every fear she'd ever felt at her, _just like she was a child again._

She felt so wrong-footed and unsure.

The only way she knew how to deal with that feeling was to run away from it, hide in a room somewhere alone, and she couldn't do that now.

Elsa opened and closed her hands, then clapped them together once. A fleur-de-lis of frost, sparkling and exquisite, drifted between her hands for a moment.

Elsa pursed her lips and blew on it, and it began to glow with a cold blue light. Elsa had discovered this particular ability of hers, the ability to make her creations glow, only about a month ago; it still made her feel proud and happy every time she used it. She passed her right hand over the fleur-de-lis and encased it in ice; it looked like a little light was trapped inside a cage of the clearest crystal.

"Wow, very nice," said a voice from somewhere above her. "Now just imagine if you could make a weapon that detailed."

Elsa almost jumped out of her skin; the fleur-de-lis crumbled into snowflakes. Jack Frost landed in front of her, his clothes giving off a faint luminescence in the darkness.

"Stop that," said Elsa as calmly as she could, brushing the snow off her hands.

"Stop what?"

"Coming out of nowhere like that!"

"I didn't come out of nowhere," said Jack. "I was on that balcony, up there, looking out, and then I looked down instead and there you were."

"Well...same thing," said Elsa sharply. She was flustered and she hated feeling flustered, and that made her quite cross. She resumed her walking, and Jack, after a moment, began to walk with her. Elsa wasn't sure how she felt about this, but before she could make up her mind, Jack began talking.

"Nice place, this Arendelle...when they said we were going back to some place that was still, like, in the 1800's, I gotta say I wasn't too keen. No working cell service, see. But I'm pleasantly surprised, because everyone can see me here, not just the kids, which I think is pretty cool. They all love you," he added thoughtfully. "'Queen Elsa has made our land prosperous, Queen Elsa is our protector, Queen Elsa is like no other ruler, Queen Elsa hung the sun and moon in the sky and makes the planets turn -'"

"Stop," said Elsa, although she felt a glow of pride. Maybe she wasn't a defender of the galaxies like the Guardians, but she had done well by her kingdom, and that was not a small feat; hearing the praise of her subjects through Jack's mouth was very gratifying.

"I'm just teasing," said Jack, looking down at her. "So, how does the great Queen Elsa feel about our adventure?"

Elsa hesitated.

"Be honest," Jack added.

"Well, really," Elsa said slowly, "I'm...rather...well, I'm terrified."

"You should be," said Jack. "Pitch is nothing to sneeze at. You'd be crazy if you weren't scared."

"But are _you_ scared?" asked Elsa.

"Well…"

"Exactly!"

"I have a little more experience than you, if you know what I mean," said Jack, who was now floating instead of walking, which Elsa had seen him do before.

"How long have you been a Guardian?" Elsa asked.

"Only a couple years," answered Jack. "See, we get chosen by Mim - that's the Man in the Moon - at different times. Pitch was being a threat, so I had to join. I was a free agent before that."

"What did you do?"

"Not much, honestly," answered Jack lightly. "Just cause a little trouble here and there, have some fun...you know."

"No, I don't know," said Elsa. "And do you have to float like that?"

"Yes," said Jack. "I hate walking. Why walk when you can fly? Can _you_ fly?"

"No, I can't fly. Why on earth would I be able to fly?"

"Well, what can you do?" asked Jack, floating directly in front of her so that she had to stop walking. "Can I see?"

"What? No!" Elsa protested, stepping to the side. "I am not...putting on a show for you!"

"I'd love to see a show," said Jack, blocking her again.

"Well, too bad," said Elsa. "Let me past!"

"Nope," said Jack, his blue eyes twinkling. "Not just yet."

Elsa stopped and glared at him fiercely, but Jack looked completely unmoved. Elsa had found once, as a very young child, that she could scare people simply by glaring at them with as much force as she could. Her father used to call it "putting ice in her stare." Elsa usually didn't use the ice stare, because she didn't want people getting used to it, but she generally found it very effective when she really wanted to intimidate someone.

The problem was, Jack Frost didn't seem intimidated.

"Please move out of the way," said Elsa, trying to regain a bit of her dignity. (She was queen here, after all).

"Aw, come on," said Jack. "Just a teeny, tiny little something?"

"I made one a minute ago," Elsa reminded him. "You saw it. You also broke it. Now, please, let me past!"

* * *

 **2 updates in 2 days! Don't expect that to happen again.**

 **Please, please review! I don't like to beg, but...well, I'm begging.**

 **For real though, I appreciate everyone's support and it means a lot to me :D**


	10. Chapter 9: Pabbie's Warning

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or Rise of the Guardians.**

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"Hello?" Elsa called.

Trolldalen was very still, and darker than Elsa had ever seen it. It was no later than she normally visited, but somehow it seemed as if it was the dead of night.

"Hello?" Anna repeated. "Pabbie? Trolls? We're here! We've come to visit! I know it isn't our normal time, but this is important!"

"Shh," Elsa said. "I'm sure they know we're here, don't talk so much. Something is wrong." She didn't know why, but she could feel gooseflesh on her arms and a strange foreboding feeling. Something was different.

They stood in silence - Anna, Elsa, North. _Too many people,_ Elsa thought nervously. _Too many_ _ **new**_ _people_. Familiarity was important to the trolls. If she could have gotten away with coming alone, she would have; but Anna needed to be there, and North also because he was in charge of this whole thing.

Just as Elsa was starting to think they wouldn't come, the trolls rolled into the valley and lifted their heads, staring at Elsa in complete silence. Elsa stared back.

Was she imagining it, or was there hostility on their kindly faces?

"Where...where is Pabbie?" she asked. Her voice sounded unsteady in her ears. The air felt cold, and she knew that for once it was not her doing.

The trolls still didn't say a word, but they parted silently. Pabbie walked between the rows, and there was no mistaking the displeasure written all over his face.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing his head.

Elsa bowed her head in turn, swallowing her foreboding. "No doubt you're wondering why we came so soon after the last visit," she said.

"As a matter of fact," Pabbie said coldly, "I am not. I know exactly why you are here, and exactly who you have harbored in your castle."

Elsa had had a premonition that the trolls weren't going to take the news well, but she hadn't expected it to be nearly this bad.

"Then you know that we're kinda in a hurry," said Anna, "and we sort of need your blessing for me, since I'm going to be ruling in Elsa's place and all while she's gone."

Elsa glared at her, but Anna didn't seem to notice. _Trust you to just cut to the chase with no tact,_ Elsa said, but in her head.

Pabbie was looking even more displeased.

"Yes," he said. "I understand that it is your intention to follow these impostors, these untrustworthy...creatures from outside your kingdom, outside our whole world, on a wild goose chase to you-don't-know-where."

Elsa was absolutely shocked. Pabbie had always, _always_ respected the queen, or even if not the queen, he respected the throne. Never had he been so blunt.

"I wanted your advice," she told him.

"On what?" he said dismissively. "If you trusted my advice, you would not have taken these people in."

"But I did take them in," Elsa said firmly. "Pabbie, I respect you, but I am the queen. The Guardians made me aware of a problem -"

"They did no such thing," said Pabbie, angrily. "They broke in on you, they gained your trust with a cock and bull story for which they have no valid proof, and now they convince you to leave your kingdom alone and unguarded with your sister on the throne. And you trust them! I hope you can see, your Majesty, why I consider this unwise and ill-advised."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Anna muttered.

Elsa was at a loss. Pabbie was right, she knew; everything he said rang true, and yet - somehow she trusted the Guardians. On paper, it made no sense, but if only Pabbie could have been in the council room with North or spent any time at all with Toothiana or even seen Sandy's round, pleasant face, he'd be able to understand. She somehow felt that these people were not her enemies.

And besides, they would fight this battle with or without her cooperation; and as it was her kingdom and her subjects at stake, they needed her.

"I have made my decision, Pabbie," she said. "I appreciate your advice, as I always have. We are allies, you and I. Let's not change that."

Trolldalen was deathly still. Elsa's unsaid threat hovered in the air like a storm cloud.

"What do you want from me?" asked Pabbie icily. Every vestige of his normal kind manner was gone. In its place was something like fury.

Elsa had to pretend that this didn't utterly dismay her.

"As I said before," she said steadily, "I want you to give Anna your blessing."

"You want my blessing?" asked Pabbie. "You will disregard my advice utterly, but you will ask me for my blessing? Why, your Majesty? Do you honestly still care about my opinion? Or do you just want the people to know that my blessing is on your sister as your surrogate?"

"I will leave her in my stead with or without your blessing," said Elsa. "But you and I have never had cause to disagree before. We have always stood together, and that is the way I want it to be!"

"Very well," said Pabbie. "Since you command it as my queen, I am forced to do it. But, your Majesty, it is against my will."

Elsa said nothing. She had no answer for this. Only yesterday, she'd been so sure about the entire plan; but now that she was standing in front of Pabbie, she felt apprehensive and slightly afraid. Anna's earlier words rang in her ears: " _What's with you just believing these Guardians, huh_?"

"If you will hear nothing else I say," said Pabbie, lowing his voice, "hear this: good will not come of this venture, only ill-fortune and the breaking of your kingdom."

"Is that a curse?" asked Elsa.

"No," said Pabbie. "It is a warning."

* * *

 **A filler before the real fun starts!**

 **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review :)**

 **-Kenzie**


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